The latest Tulane Challenge is seeking novel in-field solutions to reduce fertiliser use and run-off in a bid to prevent coastal ‘dead zones' worldwide. And they’ll give a cool US$1m to the winning innovation.

If you thought field robotics was a niche ag-industry, think again. A Japanese horticultural firm is developing the world’s first fully automated farm, a large-scale indoor facility expected to churn out 30,000 clean, green lettuce heads a day, while dramatically cutting input costs.

In many nations, beef’s outsized carbon footprint results in large part from the grain grown and processed to feed them. Substituting algae meal for grain feeds could dramatically shrink that footprint.